Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to gut the State Department as he looks to reorganize the agency. According to an email from a top State Department official to staff Thursday evening, the State Department will begin firing personnel “soon” as Rubio implements his dramatic overhaul of the agency.
“Soon, the Department will be communicating to individuals affected by the reduction in force,” the email from Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas said.
Media reports noted that sources said the cuts, known as reductions in force (RIFs), could happen as soon as Friday.
Rubio said Thursday that the RIF plan was being implemented in “probably in the most deliberate way of anyone that’s done one.”
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“We went very specifically through and reorganized the State Department,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. “When you reorganize the State Department, there were certain bureaus we wanted to empower, the regional bureaus, and there were certain bureaus, these functional bureaus, that were closed.”
These cuts come on the heels of the Supreme Court backing President Donald Trump’s efforts to carry out mass layoffs, especially in the federal government.
The firings will include members of the civil and foreign service who worked in offices that are now being eliminated or rehauled. The planned reorganization impacts more than 300 offices and bureaus, the agency told Congress in May.
A senior State Department official said the RIF plan “looked at the functions that were being performed, not at individuals.”
“If a particular function was being performed that was no longer aligned with what the department was going to be doing going forward, that function was being eliminated,” the official said. “It was personnel agnostic.”
What does the US State Department do?
The U.S. Department of State is the federal executive agency responsible for carrying out the country’s foreign policy and international relations. Often referred to as the State Department, it represents the United States abroad, negotiates treaties, and works to promote American interests, values, and security around the world.
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Headed by the Secretary of State, it advises the president on foreign affairs and manages diplomatic relationships with other nations through embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions.
The State Department plays a key role in areas such as international trade, arms control, human rights, environmental policy, and global health. It issues passports to U.S. citizens and visas to foreign nationals, and it helps Americans living or traveling overseas in cases of emergencies, lost documents, or legal issues. It also monitors political developments in other countries and helps coordinate U.S. responses to global crises like wars, natural disasters, or humanitarian emergencies.
Additionally, the State Department oversees foreign aid programs and partners with international organizations to support global development, democracy, and conflict resolution. As the primary interface between the U.S. government and the international community, it is essential to shaping how the U.S. engages with the world diplomatically, economically, and strategically.